Introduction
If you've tried to book with us and noticed two different locations on our Jane booking page — or you're wondering what exactly the relationship is between Vital Performance Care and the Eau Claire Athletic Club — this post is for you. We get this question enough that it deserves a proper answer.
A Little History: From the Downtown YMCA to the ECAC
The building we're in has a story. For decades, the space at the corner of 4th Street and Eau Claire Avenue SW was home to the Downtown Calgary YMCA — a fixture in the neighbourhood and a familiar landmark for anyone who spent time around Eau Claire Market, Prince's Island Park, or the Beltline. The market itself was a Calgary institution: farmers' markets, food vendors, the old cinema, weekend crowds. For a lot of Calgarians, that corner carries real nostalgia.
The YMCA eventually closed its doors, and after significant renovation, the space reopened as the Eau Claire Athletic Club (ECAC) — a premium fitness club bringing new energy to a location with deep roots in the community.
This photo was taken between signing our contract at ECAC and our opening date of July 2025, from inside Eau Claire Athletic Club:
A month earlier it looked like this from inside the club:
Vital Performance Care opened our doors at the same time, in the summer of 2025. We're not the YMCA, and we're not the ECAC. But we're very much a part of this building — and the relationship between our two operations is what this post is here to explain.
What Is Vital Performance Care?
Vital Performance Care is an independent performance and rehabilitation facility located on the second floor of the ECAC building at #210, 101 3rd Street SW, Calgary. We rent our space within the building — we're a separate business from the ECAC, with our own team, our own services, and our own booking system.
What we offer falls into two categories:
Clinic services — appointments with our chiropractors, physiotherapists, registered massage therapists, manual osteopathic therapists, and acupuncturists. One-on-one, scheduled appointments in our clinic space.
Performance and training services — exercise physiology assessments (including VO2max, body composition, force plate and strength testing, and movement assessment), personal training, and structured programming.
Both ECAC members and members of the general public can access everything we offer. Vital is not exclusive to club members.
Why Are There Two Locations on the Booking Site?
This is the part that confuses people, and understandably so. When you go to book with us, you'll see two options:
"Vital Performance Care" — This is our primary booking location and the one most people should use. It covers all clinic appointments (chiro, physio, massage, osteopath, acupuncture, exercise physiology) as well as personal training sessions inside our dedicated clinic and training space. Open to everyone — ECAC members and the general public alike.
"ECAC Members Personal Training" — This location is specifically for ECAC club members working with a Vital trainer inside the main club floor. Our clinic's private training space holds two to three trainers and clients at a time, so it books up quickly. ECAC members who train with our coaches have access to the full club floor, which has a much larger capacity. We needed a separate booking stream to keep scheduling clean.
A few of our trainers work in both environments — inside the club floor with ECAC members and inside our clinic space with all clients. So if you see a familiar name on both sides of the booking page, that's why.
The simple version: If you're not an ECAC member, use "Vital Performance Care" for everything. If you are an ECAC member booking personal training, use "ECAC Members Personal Training." When in doubt, "Vital Performance Care" is always the right starting point.
Pricing
There is no pricing difference between ECAC members and the general public for Vital services. Membership at the ECAC gets you access to the club's facilities — it doesn't come with a discount on Vital services, and you don't need a membership to access us.
How to Find Us — Directions & Access
We're at #210, 101 3rd Street SW — second floor of the Eau Claire Athletic Club building.
For the general public (non-ECAC members):
You'll receive a door access code in your booking confirmation email and again via text approximately 2 hours before your appointment.
Enter through the SW-facing doors on 4th Street and Eau Claire Avenue — the side of the building with the loading dock. Go through the first set of doors and enter the access code. Turn left immediately and head up the staircase to the second floor. Walk approximately 20 metres down the hall and you'll see Vital Performance Care on your right. Scan the QR code at the entrance to check in, then make yourself comfortable — your practitioner will come to greet you.
For ECAC members:
Enter through the club's main entrance and make your way to the glass doors on the second floor, across from the change rooms. Turn left and you'll find us. The same QR code check-in applies.
Parking:
Street parking is available on 4th Street SW and surrounding blocks. Paid parking lots are nearby in the Eau Claire and Chinatown areas. The river pathway is a short walk away for those arriving by bike.
For ECAC members, there are other parking options outlined here:
Conclusion
We know a new location with a new setup takes a little getting used to. Whether you're an ECAC member, a longtime Vital client, or someone discovering us for the first time — we're glad you're here. This corner of Calgary has a long history of bringing people together around health and movement, and we're proud to be the next chapter of that story.
If you're unsure which booking stream to use or which services are right for you, a complimentary 15-minute consult is the easiest place to start.
Book a free 15-min clinical consult → HERE
Book a free 15-min training or exercise physiology consult → HERE
Book an appointment → vitalperformancecare.janeapp.com
Working Alongside the ECAC: A Partnership Built on the Ground
Here's something you might not see from the booking page: Vital and the ECAC are figuring this out together.
We're both relatively new to this space. The ECAC is still establishing itself as a premium fitness club destination in a building with deep community roots, and we're building our clinic from the ground up - after the merging of Vital Strength and Physiology with Coalition Performance Care in 2025. That means we're learning as we go - what works, what doesn't, how to share this building in a way that serves everyone.
But that's actually the best part.
Instead of operating in separate silos, we're in constant conversation. We share clients. Our trainers work fluidly between the club floor and our clinic space. Our therapists get to take Vital clients out to utilize the ECAC facilities. ECAC members get the benefit of access to specialized clinical services, and our clients have the option to leverage the club's full facilities if they want them. We're not competing - we're complementing.
There's something energizing about building alongside another team that's equally committed to getting things right. It means when a client needs something we can't provide, we know exactly who to talk to. It means we're both invested in making this corner of downtown Calgary a destination for people who care about their health and performance.
If you're wondering whether the relationship between Vital and the ECAC is clear, collaborative, or genuine - it is. We're genuinely excited to be here together, and that shows up in how we work.
Amy, Carla, and Hayes
